Mixed
Sweeper
STier
122Speed · Very Fast

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Speed and Sp. Atk carry the offense, Defense doesn't even come close. A Ninja Pokemon on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve, worth 3 Speed EVs per KO.

Base Stats
High
HP72
C
Attack95
B
Defense67
C
Sp. Atk103
B
Sp. Def71
C
Speed122
A
Total530
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight40.0 kg
88.2 lbsLight
Base XP265
High Yield
Abilities
Torrent
Strengthens water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
ProteanHAPopular
Changes the bearer's type to match each move it uses.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+3
Strong Speed training target
Pokedex Entries
No Legends Z A entries available

It creates throwing stars out of compressed water. When it spins them and throws them at high speed, these stars can split metal in two.

Greninja Weakness

Type-wise, Greninja takes extra damage from Electric, Grass, Fighting, Bug, and Fairy. Psychic moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. With 6 resistances, the defensive profile is strong. Greninja leans offensive (base 95 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.

Greninja Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Electric, Grass, Fighting, Bug, Fairy
0.5x (Resist)Fire, Water, Ice, Ghost, Dark, Steel
0x (Immune)Psychic
Type ChartAvg
5Weak
6Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
ElectricGrassFightingBugFairy
½xResist
FireWaterIceGhostDarkSteel
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Psychic
STAB (5)
FireGroundRockPsychicGhost
How to Beat Greninja in Legends: Z-A (Best Counters)
Flutter Mane
Flutter Mane
GhostFairy
S
Fairy is super effective against GreninjaView Flutter Mane →

Legends: Z-A Evolution

End of the line. Greninja caps a three-stage chain that started at Froakie. Breeding produces the base form, and eggs are average hatch time. Speed grew the most through evolution (+51 over Froakie), and Greninja peaks at 530 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Froakie
#656Froakie
16
Level 16
Frogadier
#657Frogadier
36
Level 36
Greninja
#658Greninja
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Froakie
Water
Frogadier
Water
Greninja
WaterDark
HP
41
54+13
72+18
ATK
56
63+7
95+32
DEF
40
52+12
67+15
SP.ATK
62
83+21
103+20
SP.DEF
44
56+12
71+15
SPE
71
97+26
122+25
BST
314D-Tier
405D-Tier+91
530S-Tier+125
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Sweeper
TYPE
Utility
Special
Mixed
Breeding is not available in this game

Legends: Z-A Greninja Best Moveset

Click U-turn, bring in a teammate, repeat. Greninja's pivot game is backed by Life Orb for extra damage on every hit for a health trade and max Sp. Atk and Speed EVs. Battlebond works in the background while the remaining moves covers bad matchups.

Best Build

Highly recommended
Ability
Battle Bond
Item
Life OrbPOWER
Best Nature for Greninja
Timid+SPE

Greninja best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Doubles Special Sweeper Moveset

  • Dark PulseSTAB
  • Ice Beam
  • SurfSTAB
  • U Turn

Recommended Teammates

Excadrill
ExcadrillDecent
Garchomp
GarchompDecent
Dragonite
DragoniteDecent

Moves

Hard to wall, honestly. Greninja threatens 11 types beyond its own STAB, with Normal and Ghost standing out. Pair that with Hydro Cannon and Hydro Pump and switchins need to think twice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
D—10040Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
D4010035Normal
Lv 5
Water Gun
C4010025Water
Lv 8
Quick Attack+1
D4010030Normal
Lv 10
Lick
D3010030Ghost
Lv 14
Bubble Beam
C6510020Water
Lv 18
Smokescreen
D—10020Normal
Lv 23
Aerial Ace
D60—20Flying
Lv 28
Shadow Sneak+1
D4010030Ghost
Lv 35
Substitute
C——10Normal
Lv 38
Night Slash
C7010015Dark
Lv 43
Bounce
C85855Flying
Lv 51
Double Team
———15Normal
Lv 57
Hydro Pump
B110805Water

TM Moves

TM
TM22
Aerial Ace
D60—20Flying
TM105
Blizzard
C110705Ice
TM10
Brick Break
C7510015Fighting
TM110
Chilling Water
C5010020Water
TM90
Dark Pulse
S8010015Dark
TM28
Dig
C8010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM35
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM109
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM122
False Swipe
—4010040Normal
TM09
Flip Turn
C6010020Water
TM55
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM100
Gunk Shot
C120805Poison
TM01
Headbutt
C7010015Normal
TM159
Hydro Cannon
B150905Water
TM96
Hydro Pump
B110805Water
TM44
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
S9010010Ice
TM24
Ice Punch
C7510015Ice
TM49
Icy Wind
B559515Ice
TM76
Liquidation
B8510010Water
TM113
Low Sweep
C6510020Fighting
TM83
Nasty Plot
B——20Dark
TM34
Night Slash
C7010015Dark
TM17
Protect+4
A——10Normal
TM03
Psyshock
C8010010Psychic
TM145
Razor Wind
—8010010Normal
TM12
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM36
Rock Tomb
D609515Rock
TM88
Spikes
C——20Ground
TM85
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM73
Surf
A9010015Water
TM27
Swift
C60—20Normal
TM30
Swords Dance
C——20Normal
TM95
Taunt
B—10020Dark
TM89
Toxic Spikes
A——20Poison
TM115
Trailblaze
D5010020Grass
TM82
U-turn
A7010020Bug
TM150
Vacuum Wave+1
D4010030Fighting
TM41
Water Pulse
C6010020Water
TM98
Waterfall
C8010015Water

Egg Moves

Greninja doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Greninja can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Greninja in Legends: Z-A

Greninja can't be caught in Legends: Z-A. Transfer Froakie from X and evolve through the 3-stage chain to get it. The step cards below map the full chain.

How to Obtain Greninja in Legends: Z-A

  1. Froakie
    Step 1Obtain Froakie

    Also found in:

    X
  2. Frogadier
    Step 2Evolve into Frogadier

    Also found in:

    X
  3. Greninja
    Step 3Greninja ✓

Greninja Guide

  • In Legends: Z-A, Protean changes the entire equation for Greninja. The 530 BST doesn't tell the full story. Ranked S-Tier as a sweeper. Dark Pulse with Life Orb is the standard set.

  • Mega Evolution isn't available in Legends: Z-A, but Greninja does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Greninja hits 630 BST.

  • In Legends: Z-A, Greninja's biggest threats include Manectric (Electric), Roserade (Grass), and Machamp (Fighting), all carrying super-effective STAB moves. Bug and Fairy-type attackers are also a problem. With 5 weakness types, most competitive teams carry at least one counter. Greninja's base 122 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Protean is what you want on Greninja. Every competitive set worth running is built with that ability in mind. The alternatives (Torrent) work on paper but Protean is what makes Greninja worth using. With base 122 Speed, Protean gives Greninja an edge before opponents can react.

  • Base 122 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Greninja is a mixed attacker with base 95 Attack and 103 Sp. Atk. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

Game Availability

Since debuting in X & Y, Greninja has appeared in 6 titles over 5 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 6, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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